Editors Note: we will be having a Tu B’Shevat themed service on Tuesday, February 3rd at 8PM EST at OneShul.org

When most people think of Shevat, they think of Tu b’Shevat, the “new year” of the trees. Tu b’Shevat is one of the four new years in the Jewish religion. What began thousands of years ago as a tax day on fruit trees, has grown into the Jewish arbor day and/or a spiritual opportunity to explore new growth and our connection to the environment. Like so many of our holidays there are so many layers, so Tu b’Shevat can offer an amazing array of in-roads to exploring Jewish practice.

Tree Planting
It’s no wonder that Jews love Tu b’Shevat, after all we call the Torah the “tree of life.” In ancient Israel we even planted trees when children were born to commemorate their birth and then these trees were used as the chuppah poles at their weddings. That’s just one of many amazing tree-based traditions in Judaism! If you want to plant a tree for Tu b’Shevat, there are lots of organizations that you can donate to that will help you with that, since it’s a lousy time of year to actually plant trees in most parts of the world. If this is what you are looking for, then check out Casey Trees and Jewish National Fund. I’m sure there are tons of other great organizations, and I hope you’ll share your favorite in the comments.

Seders
By now most people have heard of a Tu b’Shevat seder, even if they’ve never been to one. So where do you start? Thankfully, there are many free, and really good, Tu b’Shevat seders available online. Here are few of my favorites to explore:

If you are a more DIY kind of person, check out this Tu B’Shevat Seder Outline, from Kolel. It gives you a bit of a mix and match set up that allows you to easily create your own Tu B’Shevat seder.

Psalms
I learned about the tradition of reciting the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent” (120-134) during the first fifteen days of Shevat from my teacher, RK’Jill Hammer. She has taken this practice further by associating a specific type of tree with each psalm. Since the psalms have become a big part of my daily spiritual practices right now, I’m very excited to explore this concept this year.

You could even create prayer trees by writing or printing out pieces of the psalms of ascent and tying them to trees in your yard. Imagine if you write the psalms on pieces of ribbon or fabric, how pretty the tree would look! You could leave the fabric up just during Shevat, or if you use unbleached cotton or muslin, you could even just leave it to disintegrate naturally over time.

Final thought…

Whatever you do, take some time to appreciate Judaism’s long and complicated history with trees. You might even want to take time to reflect on your own relationship with trees and nature. No matter where you live, take some time to appreciate these amazing partners in life. Without trees, we couldn’t breath, have paper, firewood, and a million other things!

Ketzirah is a Kohenet, Celebrant, and Artist. She works with individuals and groups to explore, discover, and create meaningful rituals and ritual artwork to mark moments in life.

It’s a traditional practice to read Psalm 27 each day during the month of Elul. Once that may have meant reading the same words the same way as every other Jew. Now, we have a plethora of translations and interpretations to choose from along with the original Hebrew. To really bring this practice to life, try using four different translations/interpretations and speak the words aloud each day. Each week use a different one, and record your thoughts and feelings each day to see how your response changes to each daily, and over the course of the month. Even if Shacharit (morning prayers) aren’t currently part of your spiritual practice, give this a try for the month.

Questions to think about:

Mouth: How does it feel to say the words differently? What phrases, if any, did you trip over? What phrases did you relish more? Which did you enjoy speaking and which didn’t you?

Mind: What thoughts does the translation trigger? Did any points cause your inner censor to try and stop you? Did any points cause your inner voice to cry out with joy?

Spirit / Heart: How did the translation make you feel? Did you experience any unexpected emotions while reading it?

Body: Did you notice any physical physical responses? Did you feel heavier or lighter in your heart? Did your shoulders or neck tense or release? Did you find a desire to move with the words? If so, what movements were you inspired to do?

) is Kohenet, Celebrant and Artist whose passion is helping Jews who are unaffiliated, earth-based or in interfaith / inter-denominational relationships connect more deeply with Judaism and make it relevant in their every day lives. She is an active blogger and prayer leader on OneShul.org and PeelaPom.com.

In the gutters of Warsaw, there we sat down but we could not weep when we remembered Ashkenaz.
Our fiddles have been taken from us, books of Torah, Talmud, lullabies, these have been burned.
And yet you ask me to weep on your command as if I was your suffering servant,
You ask me to sing to you the songs my babba sang me?
Those aren’t your songs.

I wont talk about peace because you tell me to.

How can I sing these songs on top of the ash heap? How can I mourn when there is no time to mourn?

But if I forget the sweetness of honey on the letters of Torah,
Let my tongue cleave to its palate;

If my right hand loses its strength to clutch a gun,
Let it wither and fall off.

If I forget those old tunes in the hail of gunfire,
In the rattle of the cattle car,

Remember, oh Lord who turns against his people, what happened here this day,
When Israel did not ask your assistance against Amalek
But moses held his arms up in his own strength
And it was not enough.

I pray only for the happiness and wellbeing of the man who one day burns their cities, takes their children.